I recently found what appeared to be a Trojan on my computer. I ran several antivirus scans, including Microsoft Defender's offline scan, and removed the detected file. I've completed more than ten scans since then without finding anything else. I also changed my passwords using another laptop and reinstalled Microsoft Edge.
Now, when I search through the browser's quick search bar, Google says it has detected unusual activity from my computer network and asks me to complete a CAPTCHA. I've never seen this message before, so I'm worried the malware might still be present. Is this warning related to the virus, and is there anything else I should do?
2 Answers
That CAPTCHA warning does not automatically mean malware is still on your computer. Search engines sometimes show it when they see an unusual number of requests from an IP address or network. It can happen because of shared Wi-Fi, a changing IP address, browser extensions, VPNs, or other normal network activity. Completing the CAPTCHA once is usually enough.
Microsoft Defender is generally sufficient for routine protection, and running repeated scans without any new detections is reassuring. You probably do not need several antivirus programs installed at the same time; they can interfere with one another and cause unnecessary alerts or performance problems. Keep Defender enabled, remove extra antivirus tools, update Windows and Edge, and review your extensions for anything unfamiliar.
Right. The timing can be coincidental. The message is about unusual search traffic from your network, not proof that a particular virus is active. If scans are clean and the warning goes away after the CAPTCHA, there is usually nothing more to investigate.
So seeing the warning for the first time doesn't necessarily mean the Trojan is still there? I had never encountered it before, which is why it worried me.